Modifying rail cars for proppant transportation

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided herein for modifying a railcar to transport containerized proppant. Various examples are provided, including: stripping a rotary gondola railcar, stripping a gondola hopper railcar, installing or modifying a floor on a stripped railcar, installing container braces on a floor of a railcar, installing braces between the side walls of the railcar, installing struts between the side walls of the railcar using the beam of the container as a strut, creating a mold for foam reinforcement of a railcar, installing foam reinforcement in a railcar, and transporting a container of proppant using a modified railcar. Although these examples are described in relation to a coal railcar, they can be modified to use other types of railcars as well. These examples can also be combined together to form a method for modifying a railcar.

PRIORITY

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/805,487, filed Feb. 14, 2019, entitled “MODIFYING RAIL CARS FORPROPPANT TRANSPORTATION,” and expressly incorporated by referenceherein.

BACKGROUND

Working with certain types of granular material can pose significanthealth risks. According to the U.S. Occupational Safety & HealthAdministration (“OSHA”), inhalation of small crystalline silicaparticles puts workers at risk for silicosis, lung cancer, chronicobstructive pulmonary disease, and kidney disease. With the increase ofhydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) over the past 5-10 years, theinstances of sicknesses and deaths due to silica inhalation have rapidlyincreased. Many fracking sites fail to meet current OSHA standards.Moreover, OSHA has proposed a new rule lowering the permissible exposurelimit of respirable crystalline silica per cubic meter of air. Thislower limit will impact almost any industry that involves transportingor otherwise using silica.

Fracking is a process for stimulating an oil well by fracturingunderground rock using a pressurized liquid. The pressurized liquidconsists primarily of water mixed with a proppant. A typical proppant issand, such as “frac sand,” although other granular materials can be usedas well. The proppant functions to maintain an induced hydraulicfracture opening such that the desired oil or gas can be extracted. Asingle fracking well can require several thousand tons of frac sand.

Frac sand is mined and processed in a plant to improve its performancecharacteristics. The sand then gets transported from the plant to thefracking site. This transportation process can involve trains, ships,trucks, conveyors, and other transportation methods. Conveyors areroutinely used to transport sand from one container to another—forexample, from a rail car to a truck. Furthermore, several steps in theprocess of transporting sand typically include pneumatic transfers,which can degrade the sand particles and create micro-particles that areeasily inhaled by workers. These systems allow silica particles topermeate the air in the surrounding area, causing a potential healthhazard to any workers nearby.

One solution to these problems is to containerize the proppant as it istransported from one location to another. However, transporting heavycontainers of proppant can be a difficult logistical task. Trucks faceweight constraints that limit the number of heavy containers that can betransported at one time. Railcars can handle substantially more weightthan trucks, but are expensive to manufacture from scratch, and cannotreach the last mile of service. Furthermore, flatbed railcars are inshort supply and may still need to be modified to support the weight oftransporting proppant.

Therefore, a need exists for methods of modifying existing railcars.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for modifyingrailcars to overcome the problems described above. In particular, thesystems and methods described herein can be applied to modify railcars,originally designed to carry coal, such that they can carry proppant.Coal railcars are designed to carry a heavy load and therefore containheavy-duty components, such as heavy-duty frames, wheels, brakes,springs, axles, and so on. Furthermore, coal railcars are plentiful. Ascoal transportation needs have declined over time, the number ofavailable coal railcars has outpaced demand. As a result, many coalrailcars sit unused today.

In the United States, two types of coal railcars exist: rotary gondolacars and hopper gondola cars. The gondola car, also referred to as a tubcar, is an open-top car typically used for carrying loose bulk material.Gondola cars may have unloading mechanisms, such as chutes, valves,doors, or some combination thereof. Other gondola cars are designedwithout unloading mechanisms, and instead are unloaded by a rotary-cardumper—a large mechanism that holds a car against a short section oftrack as the car and track are rotated upside down to empty the car. Therotary-type gondola cars sometimes include higher side walls, carryinggreater loads as a result of not having to include unloading mechanismsin the car itself.

The other type of coal railcar is a hopper car. Hopper cars have openingdoors on the underside or sides of the car to discharge the contents ofthe car. Hopper cars also have angled walls, designed such that theentire content of the cars is emptied when the doors are opened. Theangled walls can limit the available volume in the car, but eliminatethe need for large rotary mechanisms for unloading.

Systems and methods are provided herein for modifying a railcar totransport containerized proppant. Various examples are provided,including: (1) stripping a rotary gondola railcar, (2) stripping agondola hopper railcar, (3) installing or modifying a floor on astripped railcar, (4) installing container braces on a floor of arailcar, (5) installing braces between the side walls of the railcar,(6) installing struts between the side walls of the railcar using thebeam of the container as a strut, (7) creating a mold for foamreinforcement of a railcar, (8) installing foam reinforcement in arailcar, and (9) transporting a container of proppant using a modifiedrailcar. Although these examples are described in relation to a coalrailcar, they can be modified to use other types of railcars as well.These examples can also be combined together to form a method formodifying a railcar.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 provides several views of an example container-bracing system foruse in conjunction with a rail car modified to transport proppant.

FIG. 2A is an illustration of an example modified rail car.

FIG. 2B is an illustration of an example modified rail car for forming afoam mold.

FIG. 2C is an illustration of an example modified rail car with acompleted foam mold.

FIG. 2D is an illustration of an example modified rail car with aninstalled foam mold that holds several proppant containers.

FIG. 3 is a top-down illustration of an example modified rail car havinglateral support braces and carrying four proppant containers.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of a proppant container having flanges thatinterface with locking mechanisms.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a proppant container having a flange thatinterfaces with locking mechanisms.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a modified rail car having structuralsupport installed underneath a foam block.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXAMPLES

Reference will now be made in detail to the present examples, includingexamples illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible,the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to referto the same or like parts.

Systems and methods are provided herein for modifying a railcar totransport containerized proppant. Various examples are provided,including: (1) stripping a rotary gondola railcar, (2) stripping agondola hopper railcar, (3) installing or modifying a floor on astripped railcar, (4) installing container braces on a floor of arailcar, (5) installing braces between the side walls of the railcar,(6) installing struts between the side walls of the railcar using thebeam of the container as a strut, (7) creating a mold for foamreinforcement of a railcar, (8) installing foam reinforcement in arailcar, and (9) transporting a container of proppant using a modifiedrailcar. Although these examples are described in relation to a coalrailcar, they can be modified to use other types of railcars as well.These examples can also be combined together to form a method formodifying a railcar.

Example 1 Stripping a Rotary Gondola Railcar

In one example, a gondola railcar is stripped for use in transportingproppant. The railcar can be a complete and intact railcar, or a railcarthat is substantially complete and intact. In this example, the railcarincludes mechanisms for traveling along a track, such as wheels, axles,bearings, coil springs, brakes, and frame components.

The area of the gondola railcar designed for carrying a material, suchas coal, can include a variety of structural members. For example, theinterior walls of the railcar can include struts that extend from oneinterior wall to another, from an interior wall to the floor, from aninterior wall to another structural member, or some combination thereof.In this example, at least some of the struts connected to the interiorwall are removed—for example, by using a plasma cutter or anothersuitable cutting tool.

For rotary gondola railcars, any components related to the rotaryunloading mechanism can be removed as well. This includes, for example,structural members or engagement points where the car contacts therotary unloading mechanism. This can also include structural membersprovided for the purpose of maintaining structural rigidity while therailcar is being rotated into an unloading position. Any suitable methodcan be used for removing the structural members or engagement points,such as by removing fasteners, plasma cutting, and so on.

Example 2 Stripping a Gondola Hopper Railcar

In another example, a hopper railcar is stripped for use in transportingproppant. The railcar can be a complete and intact railcar, or a railcarthat is substantially complete and intact. In this example, the railcarincludes mechanisms for traveling along a track, such as wheels, axles,bearings, coil springs, brakes, and frame components.

The area of the hopper railcar designed for carrying materials, such ascoal, can include a variety of structural members. For example, theinterior walls of the railcar can include struts that extend from oneinterior wall to another, from an interior wall to the floor, from aninterior wall to another structural member, or some combination thereof.In this example, at least some of the struts connected to the interiorwall are removed—for example, by using a plasma cutter or anothersuitable cutting tool.

The hopper mechanisms can be removed from the railcar, either partiallyor fully. For example, the valves, doors, or other mechanisms foropening the hopper and allowing material to exit the hopper can beremoved. These components can be removed by, for example, removingfasteners, plasma cutting, and so on. The railcar can be stripped downto the point where the railcar would not hold material—for example,because the floor is partially missing as a new floor can be constructedat a later stage. For gondola hopper railcars that include doors orgates other unloading mechanisms, these mechanisms can be removed aswell.

Example 3 Installing a Floor on a Stripped Railcar

In some examples, after a railcar has been stripped, a floor can beinstalled in the railcar, or the existing floor can be modified. Thisexample can include, for instance, installing lateral support bracesthat extend from one side of the car to the other that can support thefloor and the weight that will be placed on it. A solid floor can beinstalled on top of those supports, or on top of existing supports, suchthat the floor is solidly supported. The floor, and any associatedsupports, can be secured via fasteners, welding, interference fitting,or compression fitting.

The floor can be made from a metal, such as one or more steel platesbolted or welded to the frame of the car or to other support structures.In some cases, the floor can be made from other materials, such asepoxy, urethane, or any material that can support the weight of proppantcontainers.

Example 4 Container Braces on the Floor of a Railcar

Once the floor of the railcar has been stripped, reinforced, and/orotherwise modified, container braces can be installed on the floor. FIG.1 shows an example embodiment of a container bracing system. In thisexample, the container 110 is a cylinder with a top and bottom plate.Each of the top and bottom plates include a plurality of structuralflanges 112 that can welded to the plate. In this example of FIG. 1, thetop and bottom plates include eight flanges 112. However, more or fewerflanges can be used. In some examples, the container 110 can include aninput port 114 that, when actuated, allows granular material to flow inor out of the container 110 based on the orientation of the container110.

The bracing system can include a floor brace 120, an A-frame 130, andone or more stabilizer struts 140. In some examples, the bracing systemis made entirely from steel or a similarly strong metal. Other materialscan be used if they exhibit high strength and durability, and lowsusceptibility to fatigue. The floor brace 120, for example, can be aflat steel plate that is bolted or welded to the floor of the railcar.The A-frame 130 support members can be mounted to either end or sides ofthe floor brace 120 and attached to the ends or sides of the railcar.For example, the A-frame support members can be mounted via a pivotingor rotating hinge attached to the floor brace 120, such that the A-framemember 130 can be adjusted to various positions.

For example, when a container 110 is not present, the A-frame members130 can be rotated such that they lay flat on top of the floor brace120. To accomplish this, at least one of the A-frame members 130 caninclude a swing joint 150 that allows the member 130 to pivotably rotateat the location of the swing joint 150. As a result, the A-frame members130 can be folded toward each other and laid on top of the floor brace120. This design allows for a container 110 to be placed and the A-framemembers 130 to be swung upward from their resting positions to attach tothe container 110 at location 135.

A brace plate 140 can be fixed to one A-frame member 130 and removablyattached to a corresponding A-frame member 130 when the A-frame 130 isin position and coupled to the flange 112 at location 135. The braceplate 140 can be attached to the A-frame member 130 using any suitablefastening method. In some examples, the A-frame members 130 can becoupled to a flange 112 of the container 110 by a fastener that extendsthrough an aperture in the flange at location 135, or by a fastenerfixedly attached to the flange at the same location.

To prevent the bottom of the container 110 from shifting, the baseplates 120 can include mechanisms for coupling to one or more flanges112 of the container 110. For example, a base lock 125 can be providedfor coupling the base plate 120 to a central flange 112, as shown inFIG. 1. The base lock 125 can include guide portions that spread apart,in a “V” shape, to guide the flange 112 into the base lock 125. Theflange 112 can then be coupled to the base lock 125 using any suitablefastening method. With the central flange 112 in place, additionalflanges 112 can optionally be fastened to the base plate 120. Forexample, flanges 112 can be coupled to the base plate 120 at apertures122, 128, using any suitable fastening method.

Example 5 Installing Struts between the Side Walls of the Railcar

In one example, struts are installed spanning the side walls of therailcar in an orientation that provides adequate room for a plurality ofsealed proppant containers. The standard last leg of frac sandtransportation to the well is by truck. The sand is sealed in containersor tanks that typically contain about 45,000 to 50,000 pounds ofproppant each. To integrate rail transportation in the sand deliverysystem it is most economical to transport three or four proppantcontainers in equally divided spaces in the railcar.

FIG. 3 shows an example rail car 330, from a top-down view, where threestruts 330 are positioned between the side walls 310 after the railcarhas been stripped. Those three struts 330 divide the railcar into fourequal spaces sized, each sized to accept a proppant container 320. Thestruts 330 can be removably fastened to the side walls 310, or they canbe welded to the walls 310. The struts 330 can include fastening modules340 designed to couple to a flange of a container 320. For example, thefastening modules 340 can include hardware similar to the base lock 125of FIG. 1. The modules 340 can fasten to the flanges in any way,however, such as by using a pin lock that fastens by extending a pinthrough an aperture of the flange. The fastening modules 340 can also bemounted direct to the side walls 310 such that they can fastenadditional sides of the containers 320, as shown in FIG. 3.

Example 6 Installing Struts between the Side Walls of the Railcar usinga Structural Member of the Proppant Container

FIG. 4 shows an example proppant container 410 having several flanges430, 440, with the lateral flange 440 being extended on either end suchthat it interfaces with another surface or member. For example, thelateral flange 440 can extend to a side wall 420 of the railcar at oneor both ends of the lateral flange 440. The lateral flange 440 in thisexample, locks into a capturing mechanism 450 on the side wall.Releasing the capturing mechanism 450 allows for insertion and removalof the container 410 from the railcar. When the container 410 is lockedin place, the lateral flange 440 can serve as a transverse strut. Thecapturing mechanisms 450 can be any mechanism for locking a flange 440in place, such as a pin lock, cam lock, or any other type of fasteningdevice.

FIG. 5 shows a view of the container with its lateral flange 440interfacing with two capturing mechanism 450 on the side wall of therailcar and functioning as a transverse strut. As shown, the location ofthe lateral flange 440, when fastened to corresponding capturingmechanisms 450, provides a lateral brace between opposing side walls 420of a rail car 610. The rail car 610 includes additional capturingmechanisms 450 to fit two more containers 410 in this example. In otherexamples, capturing mechanisms 450 can be deployed to accommodate anynumber of containers 410. These mechanisms 450 can be used inconjunction with any of the other mechanisms and methods describedherein.

Example 7 Creating a Mold and Foam Reinforcement of a Railcar

In one example, a high-density foam can be used to reinforce a railcarand prepare it for safely transporting multiple proppant containers. Anytype of high-density foam can be used for this purpose. However, anideal foam will have high strength and resilience values. An example ofa suitable foam product is 16 LB Density Urethane Foam provided by U.S.Composites, Inc. The 16 LB Density Urethane Foam has a parallelcompressive strength of about 580 psi, tensile strength of about 450psi, shear strength of about 230 psi, and flexural strength of about 750psi. The 16 LB Density Urethane Foam is merely one type of materialsuitable for this purpose. Any other foam, resin, epoxy, polyester, orfiberglass material having suitable strength made be used instead of, orin addition to, the urethane foam. In some examples, the selectedmaterial should have a parallel compressive strength of at least about400 psi, tensile strength of at least about 300 psi, sheer strength ofat least about 100 psi, and flexural strength of at least about 500 psi.

FIGS. 2A-2D depict varying stages of a method for creating foamreinforcement for a rail car 200. In FIG. 2A, a rail car 200 is shownwith the rolling gear 230 still intact, although the mold can also becreated using a rail car 200 without such rolling gear 230. In thisexample, the rail car 200 has been stripped in the manner describedabove, removing all unnecessary parts, including structural supports. Asshown in FIG. 2A, the side walls 220 of the rail car 200 have been cutat locations marked as 222—for example, the walls can be cut down towithin 1 or 2 feet of the floor.

For the mold railcar, a wood floor 240 can be installed to act as a basefor the foam mold. In one example, 2-foot by 8-foot wood beams areinstalled as flooring of the railcar. The wood flooring 240 can becovered with a sheet of plastic or similar impermeable material that canprevent uncured urethane foam from seeping through the wood beams. Othertypes of material, such as metal or composite, can be used for the floor240 as well. However, wood is likely the cheapest and easiest option.

In the next stage of the method, shown in FIG. 2B, a cap 250, or lid250, can be constructed out of a lightweight material to be installed adistance above the wood floor 240 and limit the expansion of theurethane foam 260 as it cures. For example, the lid 250 can be made fromfiberglass, epoxy, carbon fiber, or metal. In examples where the sides220 of the railcar have been cut down, the lid 250 can be shaped to wraparound the top edges of the cut sides, as shown.

The shape of the lid 250 can dictate the final shape of the expandedfoam 260. In examples where the proppant containers are designed tonest, at least partially, within the expanded foam block 260, the lid250 can be shaped to form nesting cavities for the proppant containersto fit within. For example, a cavity can be shaped to match the contoursof the bottom plate of the proppant container, including the associatedflanges, shown as part of the container in FIG. 1. The lid 250 cantherefore include a shape that includes multiple nesting cavities for aplurality of proppant containers. In one example, cavities are moldedfor each of four individual proppant containers.

To create the mold, the urethane mixture can be poured onto theplastic-covered flooring. Then, the lid 250 can be installed on top ofthe cut-down sides 220 of the railcar 200 and secured in place. The lid250 can be secured by one or more latching mechanisms, or by placing aload on top of the lid 250. The securing mechanism can be designed towithstand the force of the expanding urethane foam 260, such that thelid 250 causes the foam 260 to form around the shape of the lid 250 andform nesting cavities for the proppant containers.

After the foam 260 has cured, the lid 250 can be removed as shown inFIG. 2C. To remove the foam block 260 itself, anchors 262 can beinstalled in the foam 260 by drilling and mounting. In some examples,four anchors 262 are installed with one near each corner of the foamblock 260. A crane or other lifting mechanism can be used to lift thefoam block 260 from the molding railcar 200 and install it in a strippedrailcar or store it at a storage location. The lifting can be done byattaching cables 264 to the available anchor 262 and lifting via thecables 264.

Example 8 Installing Foam Reinforcement in a Railcar

FIG. 2D shows the foam block 260 installed in a different stripped railcar 202. In this example, the rail car 202 has side walls 220 thatextent upward beyond the height of the foam block 260. However, the foamblock 260 can also be installed in a rail car 202 with side walls 220that have been cut lower, such as the rail car 200 of FIGS. 2A-2C. Therail car 202 of FIG. 2D also includes a subfloor 240 installed above thefloor 210 of the rail car. The subfloor 240 can provide a flat surfacesuch that the force of the foam block 260 is evenly distributed.

After the foam block 260 has been placed in the rail car 202, one ormore containers 270 can be lowered into the corresponding locations ofthe block 260. Depending on the depth of the receiving locations of thefoam block 260, additional restraints for the containers 270 may not benecessary. However, in some examples, further support can be provided byusing cables or tie-downs of some sort. For example, FIG. 2D showsseveral cables 280 that each attach to a container 270 at one end. Inthis example, some of those cables 280 are attached to anchors 282placed in the foam block 260. Some of the cables 280, on the other hand,are attached to a sidewall 220 of the rail car 202. In other examples,at least some of the cables 280 can connect between adjacent containers270.

FIG. 6 shows an illustration of an example rail car 600 having internalreinforcements for strengthening the side walls 610. Thesereinforcements can be used to strengthen a side wall 610 such that afoam block 630 can be used with full-sized side walls 610. In theexample of FIG. 6, a foam block 630 is provided that fits around astructural member 620 that is coupled to the side walls 610. As thefigure shows a cross sectional view of a rail car 600, the structuralmember 620 can be placed along the floor of the rail car 600 and caninclude vertical portions that extend upward, along at least a portionof the side walls 610. The structural member 620 can be fastened to theside walls 610 using fastening devices 640.

In some examples, the structural member 620 is installed before the foamblock 630 is placed within the rail car 610. In those examples, the foamblock 630 can be molded to accommodate the structural member 620 and anyassociated fastening members 640, such as by being molded around asimilar structural support. In some examples, the foam block 630 can bemolded such that it includes holes for installing or uninstallingfasteners 640. In some examples, the foam block 630 itself can befastened to the side wall 610, such as by being molded to includeapertures and then placing fasteners through those apertures and throughthe side walls 610.

Example 9 Transporting a Container of Proppant using a Modified Railcar

Once a foam block has been installed in a modified railcar, the railcarcan be used for transporting proppant containers. In some examples, asingle railcar can carry up to four containers. As explained above, thefoam block can include nesting cavities for receiving and holding theproppant containers. A lifting mechanism, such as a crane or otherconstruction equipment, can lift each proppant container and place it ina corresponding nesting cavity. In some examples, the containers areloaded empty and then filled once loaded in the railcar. In otherexamples, the containers are filled and then loaded. Both methods arecontemplated by this disclosure.

After the containers are loaded and filled, they can be further securedvia tie-downs or other support mechanisms. For example, the inner wallsof the railcar can be outfitted with various chains having hooks shapedto engage one or more flanges of a proppant container. In that example,after the containers are loaded, the chain and hook can be extended outand secured to proppant container. Similarly, chains with hooks oneither end can be extended between containers, such that hooks engagewith a flange of a different container at either end. Other types ofsupport mechanisms can be used as well, such as structural members thatpivotably extend from the wall of the railcar to a flange or othermounting point on the container.

After the containers have been secured, they are transported to theunloading area. At the unloading area, any mechanisms securing theproppant containers to the railcar, foam, or each other are removed. Thecontainers can be lifted out of the railcar by a crane or other liftingmechanism that can lift the container straight up before moving it to anunloading area.

Other examples of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice of theexamples disclosed herein. Though some of the described methods havebeen presented as a series of steps, it should be appreciated that oneor more steps can occur simultaneously, in an overlapping fashion, or ina different order. The order of steps presented are only illustrative ofthe possibilities and those steps can be executed or performed in anysuitable fashion. Moreover, the various features of the examplesdescribed here are not mutually exclusive. Rather any feature of anyexample described here can be incorporated into any other suitableexample. It is intended that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of thedisclosure being indicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for converting a coal-carrying railcarinto a proppant-container-carrying railcar, comprising: removing atleast one structural member of the railcar; and installing a structurefor supporting at least one proppant container.
 2. The method of claim1, wherein removing at least one structural member comprises removingstructural members of the railcar associated with using a rotary-cardumper.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein removing at least onestructural member comprises removing structural members of the railcarassociated with discharging coal from the railcar via a hopper.
 4. Themethod of claim 1, wherein installing a structure for supporting the atleast one proppant container comprises installing a floor in therailcar.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein installing a structure forsupporting the at least one proppant container comprises installing afoam block shaped to receive at least a portion of a proppant container.6. The method of claim 1, wherein installing a structure for supportingthe at least one proppant container comprises installing at least onecapturing mechanism configured to engage at least one portion of the atleast one proppant container.
 7. The method of claim 4, whereininstalling a floor in the railcar comprises installing a steel plate inthe railcar.
 8. The method of claim 4, wherein installing a floor in therailcar comprises installing a structural framework for supporting theat least one proppant container.
 9. The method of claim 4, whereininstalling a floor in the railcar comprises installing structuralsupports to the floor, the structural supports oriented such that theysecure the at least one proppant container in place.
 10. A method forforming a foam block shaped to receive at least a portion of a proppantcontainer, comprising: removing at least one structural member of arailcar having four sidewalls; removing at least a portion of each ofthe four sidewalls; installing a floor in the railcar; pouring anexpandable composition into the railcar; and placing a lid on therailcar, such that the expandable composition expands up to the lid inat least one location.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the lidincludes at least one protrusion shaped to form a cavity in the expandedfoam for receiving a proppant container.
 12. The method of claim 10,wherein the lid includes at least one indentation shaped to form aprotrusion from the expanded foam for securing the proppant container inplace.
 13. The method of claim 10, further comprising embedding asupport member in the expandable composition.
 14. The method of claim13, wherein the embedded support member is fastened to a component ofthe railcar.
 15. A method for installing a foam block in a modifiedrailcar, comprising: forming a foam block using a mold; installing aplurality of anchors in the foam block; lifting the foam block from amold, using the anchors; and placing the foam block into a modifiedrailcar.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the modified railcar is arailcar with at least one structural member removed.
 17. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the modified railcar is a railcar with structuralmembers forming four compartments, each compartment shaped to receive asingle proppant container.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein themodified railcar is a railcar with at least one angular sidewallremoved.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the step of forming a foamblock using a mold comprises using a mold formed by: removing at leastone structural member of a railcar having four sidewalls; removing atleast a portion of each of the four sidewalls; and installing a floor inthe railcar.
 20. The method of claim 19, further comprising installing acap on the top of the railcar.